System and Method for Improving A Jack Up Platform with Asymmetric Cleats

ABSTRACT

A mobile drilling unit having a floatable platform for use in a body of water with a plurality of vertical support legs. With each vertical support leg configured to move with a cleat at the lower end of each support leg. Each cleat having a lower surface to transmit gravitational force from the unit to the sea floor. The cleats are asymmetric with respect to the legs which allows expansion of the center of pressure on the cleats to be beyond the vertical support legs.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a non-provisional of and claims priority benefit to U.S. provisional application No. 62/183,370 filed on 23 Jun. 2015 the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

Generally, an offshore jacket is comprised of at least three substantially vertical legs that are interconnected by framing or cross-bracing members to form a triangular or rectangular base, wherein a leg is disposed at each corner of the base. In its upright position, the jacket rest on the sea floor with the bottom of the legs resting on the sea floor or slightly penetrating into the soil. The jacket is secured to the sea floor with piles which are either driven through the legs or driven through sleeves attached to the legs. FIG. 1 shows a traditional offshore jacket. The jacket 25 is manufactured on shore and attached to the ocean floor 1. The flared jacket 25 provides wider base (b) for greater stability.

In many areas of the world, the soil of the sea floor is unconsolidated and very soft resulting in very low allowable bearing pressures. These soft sea floors occur frequently near the mouths of large rivers that empty into the oceans. Sea beds in the world which exhibit high hydrocarbon content but are characterized by soft soils from river deltas include areas in the Gulf of Mexico, west Africa and southeast Asia.

The low bearing pressures of these unconsolidated sea floors create jacket support problems during installation of offshore platforms. Specifically, without adequate support, the legs of a jacket will sink into the sea floor, causing the jacket to either fall onto its side or settle lower than design specifications. In any case, jacket settling due to a soft sea floor can negatively affect the alignment of the jacket as it is positioned at the drilling site. In this same vein, difficulties often arise during pile driving operations, which are generally completed within one to two weeks of placing a jacket in position on the sea floor. As a pile is driven into the sea bed through a sleeve, the leg or portion of the jacket to which the sleeve is attached tends to sink into the soft mud under forces applied during the pile driving operation, thus effecting the overall alignment of the jacket.

One solution to the difficulties associated with unconsolidated sea floors is to provide a structure that spreads the downward forces applied to the jacket over a larger area of the sea floor. The most common structure for accomplishing this task is called a mudmat. A mudmat has a very large surface area that rests against the sea floor (as opposed to the comparatively small surface area of a jacket leg), distributing the load of the jacket over a larger sea floor, thus allowing the jacket to properly stand on the soft sea floor and to provide stability during pile-driving operations. The bearing plate rests against the sea floor and provides the large surface area for force distribution.

There are several different types of rigs by which marine drilling is conducted. Of course one of the first developed was the fixed platform rig in which the legs or supports of the rig are permanently installed, penetrating the floor of the body of water in which the well is to be drilled as discussed previously in FIG. 1. Such a rig is limited by water depth and does not provide the mobility and flexibility of the mobile or portable type drilling rig.

Another development was the submersible rig which is provided with a floating hull. This type of rig can be floated to a drilling site where the hull is filled with water ballast causing the hull to gradually sink until safety stabilized on the water body floor. After drilling is completed, the water ballast can be removed and the hull floated to the surface. This type of drilling rig is also limited by water depth. A recent example of a submersible type drilling rig is the one shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,241,324. In an effort to overcome water depth limitations, various rigs have been developed which offer an extended height. See for example U.S. Pat. No. 2,938,354. To extend the height of this unit it is necessary to build it up by surmounting building block sections, one on top of the other.

Yet another development, drilling has been conducted from floating hull rigs. Although floating hull rigs are highly mobile, they are easily influenced by waves, winds, and other weather conditions, creating stability problems. Some of these problems have been alleviated by the development of “semi-submersible” rigs which derive their buoyancy from vertical columns or tanks, rather than from a conventional ship hull. Such a vessel is floated to a drilling site and partially submerged by flooding. The vertical columns or tanks have a relatively small exposed area at the waterline and consequently such a unit has a longer natural period in heave than does a hull type rig. The semi-submersible platform is, therefore, relatively less excited by waves and is usually quite stable in heave, pitch and roll.

A further development was the self-elevating platform, sometimes called “bootstrap” or “jack-up”, rigs which are towed to a use site in which a plurality of legs, usually three, are lowered from a floating platform into the water for penetration of the water body floor. By flooding the bottom footing to send it to the sea floor, then the top deck is jacked up a sufficient distance above the water surface to get the platform out of the wave action. U.S. Pat. No. 3,996,754 to Lowery and U.S. Pat. No. 4,265,568 to Herrmann et al. are representative of this type. Although such rigs are highly mobile and stable when in place, they tend to be unstable when floating and when in transit from site to site and are limited by water depth. In areas of extreme weather conditions, the three or more legs of such rigs may not have the required stability as the base (b) is limited to the size of the platform. This example is shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 2 shows platform 10 supported by thee legs 20, connected to cleats or feet 50 on the sea floor 1. The cleats 50 are symmetric with respect to the legs such that the center of pressure 51 exerted by the sea floor 1 is centered underneath the legs 20. While the cleats 50 are shown as octagonal, many other symmetric shapes are commonly used, circles, squares, rectangles, ovals, etc. However, each shape is symmetric with respect to the leg to unsure the center of pressure is under the leg, and moments on the legs 20 are minimized.

Although the different types of drilling units offer certain advantages, no one is completely suitable for every offshore drilling condition encountered. In an effort to incorporate some of the advantages of these units, various hybrid units have been developed which combine features of two or more of the basic type of drilling units.

The present subject matter provides the mobility, low cost and stability in a jack-up type rig by extending the base beyond the traditional limits of jack up platforms, enabling compact transportation and a distributing load over a larger sea floor area.

These and many other advantages of the present subject matter will be readily apparent to one skilled in the art to which the invention pertains from a perusal of the claims, the appended drawings, and the following detailed description of preferred embodiments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an illustration of a prior art jacket.

FIG. 2 is an illustration of a prior art jack-up platform.

FIGS. 3a-b are an illustration of an embodiment of the disclosed subject matter.

FIGS. 4a-c are an illustrations of an embodiment of the disclosed subject matter with the cleats retracted.

FIG. 5 is an illustration of a cleat according to an embodiment of the disclosed subject matter including ballast and storage.

FIGS. 6a-d is an illustration of a parallel and oblique rotation of the cleat.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The drilling rig of the present subject matter combines desirable features of standard and jack-up rigs. The rig is made up of three major components as shown in FIG. 3: a plurality of legs 20, a respective plurality of floatable cleats (feet) 50 and a floatable platform 10, the plurality of legs 20 are each attached to their respective cleat/foot 50 and extend upwardly through a respective leg well 21 provided therefor in the platform 10. The platform 10 supports a drilling derrick, living quarters and other equipment necessary for drilling.

The cleats 50 which preferably provides buoyancy for supporting the rig while it is floating and is in transit from site to site. Should it be desired to increase the stability of the rig during transit, say for heavy seas, the cleats may be partially filled with water and lowered to a partially submerged position, lowering the center of gravity of the rig and increasing its stability.

The cleats 50 of the disclosed subject matter differ from that of the prior art in that they are asymmetric with respect to the legs 20 (e.g. are not centered on the leg). Prior art cleats are centered on the leg 20 as such to align the center of pressure 51 under each respective leg. FIG. 2 shows the force provided by the cleat 50 being directed vertically up the leg 20. The center of pressure as used in this disclosure being predominately a function of cleat surface in contact with the sea floor. The cleats as shown in FIG. 3, are configured to have a center of pressure outside the leg well 21, such that a base b′ is greater than the base b of the prior art. The force is directed though the leg 20 to the platform but also has a moment component as shown in FIG. 3. The larger base b′ provides greater stability.

In the initial or transit position of, enough ballast is removed from the cleats so that the platform is floating and supporting the remainder of the unit. In this position, the unit may be attached to an ocean going tow vessel for transit to a preselected drilling site. Alternatively, the rig may be positioned on a traditional barge, however this is not preferred. Should heavy seas be encountered during transit, ballast may be introduced into the cleats, at least partially submerging the platform. In this position, the center of gravity is lowered and the stability of the unit is increased. When these adverse conditions have subsided, the ballast may be removed and the platform returned to the floating or transit position. FIGS. 4a-c shows another advantage of the present disclosure. The initial or transit portion of the cleats 20 may be rotated to reduce overall size or align with the direction of transport to reduce drag. The rotation may be a function of the elevating jacks, in which the legs 20 are rotated, or may be a function of a rotation system that rotates the cleats 50 relative to the leg 20. FIGS. 4a-c show a configuration in which all of the legs are rotated under the platform, are rotated with respect to the direction of travel and shown in a square platform configuration oriented with respect to the direction of travel. FIG. 4b in which the cleats 50 are within the bounds of the platform 10 is the minimum size configuration, but also is aligned with the direction of travel.

Upon reaching the selected drilling site, the cleats 50 may be rotated to their operational position fully submerged until it and the support leg are fully supported on the floor of the body of water. In the initial stages of this movement, the platform moves downwardly to assume the floating position of. The relative movement of the legs 20 is permitted by releasing the elevating jacks. At this point, the platform which is now floating on the surface of the body of water may be elevated, by means of elevating mechanisms, to a selected height above the surface of the body of water. Then the derrick can be laterally moved from its transit position to a position above a selected hole in the drilling templates. From this position, drilling may commence. As can be readily understood, the derrick may be moved from template hole to template hole so that a plurality of wells can be drilled without disturbing the position of the cleats 50, legs 20 and platform 10. If desired, the elevating mechanisms may be removed after drilling has been completed and the entire unit converted to a permanent or semi-permanent production platform. However, if it is desired to move the unit to a different location, it is only necessary to move the derrick to its non-interfering initial position, lower the platform until it is floating in the water, and raise the cleats and leg by removing ballast. Then the unit may be towed to another site.

The drilling rig of the present invention offers the advantages of traditional and jack-up rigs without some of the disadvantages inherent in each of these designs. Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the description which follows in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

In addition to providing ballast control, the cleats may provide large oil or drilling fluid storage capacity under water. This effects considerable economics in the structure since the major weight is near the bottom where comparatively less structure is required for support. As shown in FIG. 5, the cleat 50 may be filled with ballast 70 along with oil or drilling fluid 71. FIG. 5 also shows the cleat 50 providing a force {right arrow over (F)} and moment {right arrow over (M)} to the leg 20, resultant from center of pressure 51 of the cleat 50. The portion of the cleat 50 engaging the sea floor is shown as symmetric in FIG. 5, such that during bottoming of the cleat, a lateral force is not imparted to the leg 20.

Another aspect of the disclosed subject matter is the ability and advantages of rotating the cleats 50 on an axis oblique 52 to the center axis 22 of the legs 20. As shown in FIGS. 6a and 6b , the cleat 50 may be rotated about the center axis 22 of the leg 20, such that the depth of the cleat to the platform remains substantially constant. However, as shown in FIGS. 6c and 6d , if the axis of rotation 52 is oblique to the vertical center axis 22 of the leg 20, a vertical change in the distance between the platform 10 and the cleat 50 may be accomplished. As shown D1>D2, where the axis of rotation to inclined away from the platform, such a change may advantageously lower the center of gravity during transport and provide greater stability without increasing drag. Moreover, the lower surface of the cleat 50 may be optimized for contact with the sea floor, while the surface presented to the sea in the oblique rotation may be optimized to reduce drag and increase stability, tracking during transport.

As can be seen from the foregoing description and accompanying drawings the mobile drilling unit of the present invention offers the combined advantages of submersible, semi-submersible and jack-up type drilling rigs. In particular, the drilling rig of the present invention offers a low center of gravity for ocean tow with a high degree of ocean tow stability at much less cost than jack-up drilling rigs designed for comparable water depths. By having asymmetric cleats the disclosed subject matter provides the fixed support and greater in-place stability afforded by submersible bottom resting rigs. By the unique structural arrangement, the majority of the drag is reduced, and size limited, thus making the rig efficient and economical.

While preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described, it is to be understood that the embodiments described are illustrative only and that the scope of the invention is to be defined solely by the appended claims when accorded a full range of equivalence, many variations and modifications naturally occurring to those of skill in the art from a perusal hereof. 

1. A mobile drilling unit for use in a body of water comprising: a floatable platform having a plurality of leg wells around the periphery of the platform, said plurality of leg wells each having a center, the centers defining the corners of a first area on the floatable platform; a plurality of vertical support legs extending substantially vertically upwardly through a respective one of said plurality of leg wells; said vertical support legs being configured to move vertical with respect to the platform from a first retracted position to a second extended position; each of the vertical support legs including an cleat attached at a lower end of the support leg, said cleat comprising an enclosure for containing ballast and providing buoyancy and comprising a lower surface for transmitting the gravitational force from the mobile drilling unit to the sea floor; said lower surface having a center of pressure; said cleat extending outward from the respective leg such that center of pressure lies outside the first area defined by the leg wells.
 2. The mobile drilling unit of claim 1, wherein the center of pressure lies outside the horizontal projection of the platform.
 3. The mobile drilling unit of claim 1, further comprising leg jacks, capable of moving the vertical support legs from the first retracted position to the second extended position and vice versa.
 4. The mobile drilling unit of claim 1, wherein the cleats provide sufficient buoyancy to float the drilling unit while in the first retracted position.
 5. The mobile drilling unit of claim 1 wherein each cleat is symmetric about a first plane; said first plane containing a center axis of the respective vertical support leg.
 6. The mobile drilling unit of claim 5, wherein the lower surface of the cleat is V-shaped.
 7. The mobile drilling unit of claim 1, wherein each cleat comprises a first end attached to the respective vertical support leg and a second free end laterally distanced from the first end.
 8. A mobile drilling unit with two cleat configurations for use in a body of water comprising: a floatable platform having a plurality of leg wells around the periphery of the platform, said plurality of leg wells each having a center, the centers defining the corners of a first area on the floatable platform; a plurality of vertical support legs extending substantially vertically upwardly through a respective one of said plurality of leg wells; said vertical support legs being configured to move vertical with respect to the platform from a first retracted position to a second extended position; each of the vertical support legs including an cleat attached at a lower end of the support leg, said cleat comprising an enclosure for containing ballast and providing buoyancy and comprising a lower surface for transmitting the gravitational force from the mobile drilling unit to the sea floor; said lower surface having a center of pressure; wherein in said second extended position, said cleat extends outward from the respective leg such that center of pressure lies outside the first area defined by the leg wells, said cleat being rotatable with respect to the floatable platform.
 9. The mobile drilling unit of claim 8, wherein the rotation is about the axis of a respective vertical support leg.
 10. The mobile drilling unit of claim 8, wherein the rotation is about an axis oblique to the axis of the vertical support leg.
 11. The mobile drilling unit of claim 10, wherein the oblique rotation axis is inclined away from the platform.
 12. The mobile drilling unit of claim 10, wherein the oblique rotation axis in incline towards the platform.
 13. The mobile drilling unit of claim 9, wherein each cleat is rigidly attached to a respective vertical support leg and the vertical support leg rotates about its axis.
 14. The mobile drilling unit of claim 8, wherein the center of pressure of at least one of the cleats is within the first area in the first retracted position.
 15. The mobile drilling unit of claim 8, wherein the center of pressure lies outside the horizontal projection of the platform in the second extended position.
 16. The mobile drilling unit of claim 1, further comprising cleat articulators, capable of rotating the cleats from the first retracted position to the second extended position and vice versa.
 17. A method of off shore drilling comprising the steps of: providing a platform having a plurality of leg wells around the periphery of the platform, said plurality of leg wells each having a center, the centers defining the corners of a first area on the floatable platform; providing a plurality of vertical support legs located in a respective one of said plurality of leg wells; each of the vertical support legs including an cleat attached at a lower end of the support leg, said vertical support legs in a retracted position; floating the platform with buoyancy provided by the cleats towing the floatable platform to an offshore location; ballasting the cleats and vertical support legs until the platform is in buoyant contact with the water engaging the cleats are with the sea floor to support the platform; jacking up the platform to a position above the wave action of the water; wherein each cleat comprises a lower surface for transmitting the gravitational force from the mobile drilling unit to the sea floor; said lower surface having a center of pressure; said cleat extending outward from the respective leg such that center of pressure lies outside the first area defined by the leg wells.
 18. The method of claim 17, further comprising rotating the cleats outwards prior to engaging the sea floor; wherein the axis of rotation is parallel with the center axis of the vertical support legs.
 19. The method of claim 17, further comprising rotating the cleats outwards prior to engaging the sea floor; wherein the axis of rotation is oblique with the center axis of the vertical support legs.
 20. The method of claim 19, wherein the surface of the cleat presented to the water in the outward rotated position is different than the surface presented to the water in the non-rotated position. 